From Australian Survivor to The Mole, strategic games are nothing new on reality TV. But Channel 10's latest show The Traitors is an addictive reinvigoration of the concept.
Described as a game of "deception, suspicion and betrayal", The Traitors starts with 24 players known as Faithful, who live together in a grand old hotel where they will be required to carry out challenges in order to win silver bars.
However, some of the Faithful are actually Traitors, and it’s their mission to eliminate the Faithful one by one. The Traitors must work together each evening behind the Faithfuls' backs, choosing a Faithful to 'murder' out of the game. While the Traitors must try to not be caught, the Faithful have a mission of their own to unmask the Traitors. When everyone meets in the Banishment Room, they will vote to get rid of someone from the game, and that banished person must then reveal if they are Faithful or a Traitor.
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With multiple layers to the game and the need for discretion, trust and some skilful acting, each of the contestants need to put their poker faces on in order to survive and come out with the ultimate $250,000 prize money.
Here's a breakdown of the secret strategies and game plans that each of the contestants are executing in the hope of becoming the winner of Season 1 of The Traitors.
Alex Duggan, 25, SA (Model)
The national finalist in the 2019 Miss Universe competition hopes to use her modelling background to her advantage by tricking rivals into thinking she's merely a pretty face who doesn't have any strategies under her belt.
"I want people to believe I’m a gentle, sweet and bubbly soul, and I don’t want them to know that underneath my sweetness, I’m actually cutthroat," she says.
She also believes she's great at forging connections, reading other people and detecting liars.
Chloe Campbell, 30, NSW (Clairvoyant)
Chloe's strategies are a mixed bag. She plans to observe people’s behaviour and body language, but also communicate with the spirits to win the game. If she knows who a Traitor is, she'll be keeping that information close to her chest.
"I’m going to keep it to myself because you can’t trust anyone, which is the game," she says.
Justine Reid, 36, QLD (Social Worker)
The Ganguri woman from Brisbane says she's a natural leader and is planning to use her life skills to move forward in the game.
"Everything that’s happened has shaped me and made me who I am. I think it’s taught me to be resilient and tough when I need to be. I grab life now and jump in feet first, with no apologies," says the mother-of-two.
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"I won’t be unkind or malicious but I always speak my mind and I’m not passive and don’t hold back. I’ll have to bite my tongue a little bit in this game, but I probably won’t be able to help myself."
Kashindi, 20, QLD (Law Student)
Kashindi won't be revealing much about her personal life. Self-control, mystery and putting herself first will be her secret weapons.
"“Loyalty is everything in my life but not in the game," says the law student. "In the game, I don’t owe anyone anything. Nobody helped me get into this game."
Claire Sawyer, 52, NSW (Supermarket Checkout Operator)
The mum-of-two and checkout chick is one of the Traitors this season and plans to cause havoc amongst the group.
"I think being a Traitor would be fun because you can manipulate and get the Faithful’s to turn on each other. It sounds horrible but it’s pretty cool," she says.
Sandra Wu, 26, NSW (Personal Trainer)
Sandra's strategy in the game is two-fold. First, she'll sit back and observe, and then she’ll strike.
"My second phase will be working out what to do with the information, form alliances and use my skills of manipulation to get to the end," she says.
"I love this game because it’s all about mental strategy, emotional resilience and physical challenges."
“Any friendships I form in the game are purely strategic. I’m going in to win and if I need to cut thosefriendships loose at the end, then I will”.
Kate, 38, NSW (Photographer)
Kate hopes to play with misdrection and trust to get her way in the game, and says her photography experience has given her an insight into human behaviour.
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"I really need people to be loyal to me but I am not intending on being loyal to them," says the 38-year-old. "If one of us breaks that trust at some point, I am fully aware the whole thing is going to crumble."
Fiona, 26, VIC (Dancer)
With her good judge in character and ability to read other people, dancer Fiona believes she has what it takes to win. She also hopes to use her appearance to her advantage and fool the rest of the cast.
"I think people look at me and they see blonde hair, long nails, fake tan and make the assumption I’m a girly girl but I’m many things and a lot stronger than I look. I’ll probably be the most deceitful player this game has seen," she teases.
Marielle Intveld, 24, SA (Law & International Politics Student)
Marielle has an array of life experiences to draw skills from in the competition. As well as studying a double degree in law and international politics, she's a bar tender, a human rights advocate, a volunteer and a triathlete.
The 24-year-old who is a selected Traitor on the show wants to use her legal debating skills to defend or stand up for herself.
Olivia Fisher, 43, VIC (Forensic Investigator)
A problem solver with a love for puzzles, Olivia isn't afraid to play dirty in this game.
"I am the Queen of composure. I have to be with my job. This is a game of deceit and a game where you trust no one," she says. "I am going in there knowing everyone is going to be lying to me and I’m a good liar so I will fish them out."
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Teresa Newton, 42, WA (Sports Club President)
Apart from her natural competitive streak, Teresa interestingly doesn't have a set strategy or plan in place, and instead wants to take it day by day.
“I can walk into a room and will either light it up or stay quiet and watch what’s happening," she explains.
"At the end of the day, people are my superpower and it’s going to help me in this game. I do have a hero complex and love to save the day so I will need to tone that down."
Angus, 38, QLD (Sales Manager)
Angus says there are two sides to him and he will lean into both on the show at different times when it works to his advantage.
"There's Angus, the quiet considered, well read, analytical orientated guy and then there is my alter ego, Gucci man who is a lot different," he says. "He’s extroverted, loves a crowd, high energy risk taker and both sides constantly jostle for my attention."
Craig Carr, 57, QLD (Business Coach)
The business coach is an expert in body language and non-verbal communication and will be relying on these skills to take him further in the game.
"I’ll be looking for signs of deception and they might be able to hide it in their words but their bodies will tell me a different story."
Dirk Strachan-Thornton, 34, VIC (Hotel Concierge)
As well as working as an executive concierge at hotels in Melbourne, Dirk is a cabaret performer and actor. He'll be using his performance skills and stirring up some drama, but doesn't want his co-stars to know about his acting experience.
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"You have to hide your emotions and feelings and portray something that is not really happening so if I set something up that causes some drama, I can react to it accordingly," he says.
Ethan, 27, VIC (Fitness Instructor)
When it comes to physical strength, Ethan perhaps has no other rival. The 27-year-old holds two Guinness World Records — one for achieving the most amount of burpees in three minutes and the other for dragging a two-tonne vehicle 100 kilometres in 48 hours on no sleep.
However, The Traitors is primarily about mind games, so he'll be focusing on making connections and trying to be likeable, before turning on others in order to win the competition.
"There will be times I want to speak up and I know that if I do that, it could get me in trouble," he explains. "My game plan coming into this is the first half, I’m going to be super likeable, super social and get everyone to like me. Second half, burn ‘em all”."
Lewis Wren, 33, QLD (Electrician)
Describing himself as a smiling assassin of the game, Lewis explains one of his main strengths is his ability to get away with things and his problem-solving skills.
"If I was an animal in this game, I would be a rat or a ferret. I don’t want to be a big cat that everyone is looking and hunting for, I want to be the one in the tree who can pop down and take the spoils of war."
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Mark, 33, NSW (Legal Professional)
Mark is banking on a couple of things to advance his game on The Traitors. Not only is he good at sensing when someone is lying to him, but he's relying on body language and facial expressions to help him find out the truth throughout the competition.
Matt, 32, QLD (Real Estate Agent)
The real-estate agent says his ability to think on the spot will come in handy on the reality TV show.
"I am very in tune with sniffing out liars and developing an understanding of how to make the right decisions," he also adds.
MK, 59, VIC (Criminal Lawyer)
The police officer-turned-criminal lawyer says he can read people within 30 seconds, identify if someone is guilty and says these things combined with his ability to make friends with everyone will be massive advantages in the game.
Midy Tiaga, 29, NSW (Strategy Consultant)
Midy's going down the fun route, hoping his love of escape rooms and video games will help him move forward on the show.
Nigel Brennan, 50, TAS (Hostage Negotiator)
Nigel will be one to watch on The Traitors because if there's anyone on the show who can talk their way out of a sticky situation, it's him. The 50-year-old was a photojournalist reporting in different war zones around the world and was held hostage in Somalia for 460 days with another journalist. He was held ransom until his family paid $675,000 USD to release him.
He'll be keeping this life experience under wraps because he knows it'll make him an instant threat, and instead he'll use his negotiating skills to his advantage.
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"I will not be telling anyone about my history, that would be like suicide," he says. "If people worked out I was a hostage negotiator, they would probably find that quite intimidating and not a skill set people would want in the game."
Paul, 61, QLD (Financial Investigator)
Paul's strategy is multi-faceted. The financial investigator is relying on his ability to look out for body movements, verbal and non-verbal communication and other signs someone might be lying to you. Plus, he believes his social game is strong and he won't shy away from manipulation or deceit if he needs to go there.
The Traitors airs Sunday to Tuesday at 7:30pm on Channel 10 and 10 Play.
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